Power walkers. You see them on treadmills and sidewalks everywhere, pumping their arms like Tiger Woods after sinking a 30-footer at Augusta. And maybe you roll your eyes just a bit. Power walking may be fine for granddads and soccer moms, but what's that got to do with a guy like you, right?

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Time to smooth out that smirk. Time to bury those biases. A growing number of men are discovering the fat-loss merits of power walking, that is, walking briskly with a high arm swing (not to be confused with the hip-swiveling Olympic sport of race walking). In fact, the number of male fitness walkers in the U.S. who walk at least 100 times a year has risen from 4.6 million to 6 million since 1996.

"Even the hardbodies at the gym now admit that walking has a place in a well-rounded fitness regimen," says Mark Fenton, author of The Complete Guide to Walking and host of PBS' America's Walking. "They know it's low-impact and can provide a vigorous aerobic workout." Plus, it crunches calories and puts the hurt on body fat.

"Power walking significantly speeds up your metabolism and boosts calorie burning," says Steven LoDEr, C.S.C.S., a longtime personal trainer and owner of EnduraFit in Bloomfield, N.J.

But fat loss is just one of the benefits you'll see when you put on your walkin' shoes--you'll improve your endurance, increase your energy and boost your heart health, among other dividends (see "Walking Benefits," previous page). Perhaps those soccer moms are on to something.

BASIC POWER

If you fell out of the cardio habit over the winter, basic power walking is a low-intensity way to get back in the swing. Obtain clearance from your doctor if you've been inactive for six months or more; otherwise you can step right into this eight-week program.

Start with a 20-minute walk, three days a week, always allowing 48 to 72 hours between walks. Use the gym treadmill or stroll right out your front door. Set the treadmill on a 1-percent incline to neutralize its "pulling" effect. On outdoor walks, follow a level, out-and-back route so you can avoid the hassle of plotting a new loop every time you want to add distance.

Add three to five minutes a week to each walk and gradually pick up the pace. At Week 8, you'll be up to 45-minute treks. Adding time will build endurance; adding speed will boost intensity. To add speed, increase your pace gradually on the treadmill; on outdoor walks, regularly clock your time at an intermediate point to track improvement.

The Payoff. The calorie burn for each walk will increase from about 150 to 175 for 20 minutes to 350 to 450 for 45 minutes. In eight weeks, especially if you weight-train and watch your caloric intake, you can lose five to 10 pounds. After that, you should be set to move up to the higher intensity of our "Triple-Power Program," but if you're not sure whether you're ready for it, have a professional assess your fitness,

TRIPLE POWER

If you kept your cardio going through the winter, here's how to raise the bar. "Triple Power" means doing three kinds of power walks, indoors or out, each week: a walk with weights, a walk with hills and a steady walk. Do each one for 20 minutes on nonconsecutive days the first week. As you get fitter, you can gradually add to the time walked, amount of weight held, number of hill reps, or degree of hill steepness--but don't increase them too much all at once.

Day 1: Weight-Added Walk Here are three ways to add weight. (Don't walk with weights, however, if you're prone to back, shoulder, wrist or knee injuries.)

The Payoff: Carrying or wearing extra weight enables you to burn more calories (about 175 to 200 in 20 minutes) and tone more muscle.

* Hand weights: Holding light dumbbells while power walking will improve the strength and endurance of your shoulder muscles, but don't use weights that exceed two pounds.

"Any more than that inflicts too much stress on your shoulders and can throw off your stride," says Loder. "Consider that in a 20-minute walk you'll lift a two-pound weight 2,000 times, so that's 2,000 reps and 4,000 pounds of work." Hold the weights with a firm grip, but not too tightly, which can cause the shoulders to tighten and blood pressure to rise to potentially dangerous levels.

* Weighted gloves: At $10 and up a pair, these offer several advantages: 1) You don't have to grip them, allowing your shoulders and arms to relax; 2) they're safer because you can't drop them; and 3) some models have slots for adding weight.

* Weight vests: This is the priciest option ($30 to $150), but in Loder's opinion, the best. "First, they give you the most calorie burn because you have to move more mass," he says. "Second, the added weight strengthens both lower-body and upper-body muscles. Third, by adding weight to your core, vests don't expose you to joint injury as much as hand weights do." Weight is progressively added in pockets; start at 10 pounds and add a pound a week to a maximum of 20.

Day 2: Hill-Interval Walk In the middle of this walk, incorporate three hills of one or two minutes each, separated by one or two minutes of flat walking. On a treadmill, use a 3-percent incline the first time and raise it up 1 percent each week to a maximum of 6 percent at four weeks. You can't be as precise on outdoor walks, but start with short, mild hills and switch to steeper ascents after a few weeks. In both cases, maintain the same speed from the beginning to end of each walk. If you can't get to any hills, substitute stair climbs at the nearest tall building or football stadium. The steeper angle allows you to climb for 20 to 30 seconds and work just as hard, or harder, as you would flat walking for a minute.

After a month, increase the number of climbs. Each week add one hill of one or two minutes and one or two minutes of flat walking. Eventually, you can build up to 10 to 15 short hills, or five to 10 longer hills, during a walk of 30 to 45 minutes.

The Payoff: "Hill intervals stimulate postworkout fat-burning," says Loder. The calorie burn for 20 minutes is about 175 to 200. "It's also a nice lead-in to a running program because the effort and use of muscles are so similar." A strong power-walking pace is 11 minutes a mile, the same as for slow running.

Day 3: Steady Walk No weights or inclines on this one, just an even, moderate, conversation-allowing effort. This is the best walk to do with your wife or a friend.

The Payoff: The calorie burn for 20 minutes is about 150 to 175.

Up next: Get a leg up on banishing your winter weight gain with our spring running program.

WALKING BENEFITS

In addition to burning hundreds of calories an hour, walking has myriad other effects that will add to your overall physical and mental health:

* Better endurance so you can last longer--at work, on the court, even in the bedroom.

* Increased energy, especially after each walk, when your body remains revved up for a while.

* Improved heart health, as walking is considered one of the most effective lifelong activities you can do to prevent heart disease.

* Stronger lower-body muscles--quads on uphills; hamstrings, calves and glutes on flats. Also getting a workout are the hip flexors, lower back, and abs. "Power walking is especially effective in toning your abdominal midsection," says Steven Loder, C.S.C.S., personal trainer and owner of EnduraFit in Bloomfield, N.J.

* Negligible risk of injury, because of minimal impact on the joints.

* Convenience. You can walk anytime, anywhere and on any surface, and shoes are all you need. (Walking shoes are best, but running shoes and cross trainers will do.)

* Versatility. Walking lets you cross-train without beating up your body on days when you're not doing something more punishing, tike running or playing basketball.

Lastly, walking is both a great social activity, because it lets you combine conversation with cardio, and a great solo activity, because it lets you de-stress and problem-solve.

POWER-WALKING PRIMER

Power walking is simply brisk walking done with powerful arm action. Here are some form tips:

* Keep your head up, back straight and body aligned.

* Flex your elbows in a curling motion with each arm swing, and swing your hands to chest or neck level. Keep your hands in a cupped position.

* Don't swing your arms too far away from your body.

* Stride out, but don't lengthen your stride so much that your knees lock, which can lead to injury.

* Land on your heels with toes pointing forward.

* On inclines, slightly shorten your stride, lean forward and pump your arms higher.

* While walking with hand weights or weighted gloves, use a compact arm swing that stays close to your body so the added weight at the hands doesn't distort your form.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group

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